PZI Teacher Archives
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Ordinary Mind Is the Way (GG19)
KOAN:
Zhaozhou asked Nanquan, “What is the Way (the Dao)?”
Nanquan said, “Ordinary mind is the Way.”
Zhaozhou asked, “Should I turn myself toward it or not?”
Nanquan said, “If you try to turn yourself toward it, you turn away from it.”
Zhaozhou asked, “How can I know the Way if I don’t turn toward it?”
Nanquan said, “The Way is not about knowing or not knowing. Knowing is delusion; not knowing is blank.
If you actually reach the Way, you’ll find it as vast and boundless as space. How can you talk about this in terms of right and wrong?”
With these words, Zhaozhou had a sudden realization.
Wumen’s Verse
Spring comes with its flowers, autumn with the moon,
summer with breezes, winter with snow.
When useless things don’t hang in your mind,
that is your best season.
—Gateless Gate Case 19, with Verse
The Plainness of the Heart
John Tarrant presents a dharma talk at summer sesshin on the inherent nature of the heart. June 22, 2011.
Ordinary Mind is the Way
David Weinstein gives a dharma talk at the 2011 spring sesshin, on “Ordinary Mind” as path of awakening.